This invention relates to a flood protection device and, more particularly to an assembly for placing in the entryways of buildings to stop high water from inundating a building.
It is a continuous struggle for residents of flood-prone areas to protect their buildings from rising water. Almost every year, report come from different areas of the world describing devastation and heavy economic losses suffered by flood victims. While the assembly of the present invention is not intended to protect buildings from floods of catastrophic proportions, this invention offers an inexpensive and easily installed assembly for protecting houses from water of 1-3 feet.
In the past, various methods have been suggested for protection of buildings from rising water. A traditional method is the use of sandbags placed around the building in an effort to divert the water flow.
Some of the non-traditional methods suggest construction of barriers or levees around buildings, which necessarily calls for a considerable expenditure of funds and labor. Other methods suggest digging of a channel around the building and positioning a roll of plastic sheeting therein. As the threat of flood approaches, the sheeting is designed to be unrolled and secured at 3 to 5 feet above the ground, that is to the elevation of expected rise in the water level. While some of these methods have been used for years, other methods have not been widely accepted by the general population.
The present invention contemplates elimination of drawbacks associated with the prior art and provision of a flood protection assembly for use in entryways to a building, such as doorways, to prevent rising waters from seeping into the house in the space between the door and the sill or between the window and the window sill.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a flood prevention assembly for use in a building entryway.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a flood protection assembly that is inexpensive to manufactures and easy to install.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a flood protection assembly that can be installed in minutes and can be stored in a compact manner when not in use.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved through a provision of a flood protection assembly that is adapted for use with an entryway that has a frame with vertical frame members. The device comprises a pair of frame plates fixedly attachable to the frame casing vertical members, a pair of channel-forming inserts slidably engageable with the frame plates and a shield assembly that is removably positionable in front of the entryway, stretching across the entryway and rising to 1-3 feet from the ground.
The shield assembly has a pair of cylindrical bars, each of the bars slidably fitting into the channel formed by the insert members. A flexible resilient shield is secured to the bars by connecting triangular strips that extend along the length of the bars and along the upper part of the shield body. A lower part of the shield body is not secured; it flares outwardly to cover at least some surface area in front of the entryway and allow more secure positioning of the shield assembly in relation to the entryway.
The shield body has a plurality of tabs attached along the upper edge thereof. The tabs are folded over a cross bar that is placed above the shield assembly and secured by snaps or other similar means to the cross bar. In this manner, the shield is more securely held in place above the ground.
To prevent rising water from lifting the lower part of the shield body, a large weight is placed on the shield in front of the entryway. The weight body is formed from two flexible resilient sheets heat sealed together along the periphery thereof. A number of channels are formed in the weight member body to allow better distribution of weight liquid throughout the weight body. When not in use, the weight body is in a collapsed state, taking up a small amount of space. When the assembly is in use, the weight body is filled with water/liquid weight and placed on the lower part of the shield.
A pair of smaller weights are provided for placing in the comers of the entryway to secure the critical area, where rising water might seep into the house. The smaller weights are also filled with water immediately prior to use. When not in use, they are stored in a collapsed state.
An optional wedge is provided for sliding under the door to close the gap between the door and the ground. The wedge is place in the gap prior to positioning of the shield assembly across the entryway.